DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2024

A very stoic bull moose in Denali National Park.

DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2024

ATHABASCAN (DENE) LAND

LOGISTICS:

     We departed Anchorage and drove to the Talkeetna turn-off where we ate lunch a the Denali Brewing Company.  Then we made our way to Grizzly Bear Cabins.  After checking-in and stowing our gear we made the drive out to Mountain Vista parking area.  We took a hike to the Savage River and enjoyed the pleasant weather.

Posing with ebikes in front of the Denali National Park sign.

DAY 1:  (9/3/24)

      The week after Labor Day has become the traditional time for us to make a visit to Denali National Park.  The crowds are smaller, the air is crisp, and the fall colors are stunning.  We drove from Anchorage to Grizzly Bear Cabins making two stops along the way.  The first was at the Alaska Bicycle Center where Mrs. Huffy purchased an efatbike.  She made plans to have it prepped so we could pick it up after our trip.  The second stop was at Denali Brewing Company where we had a superbly delicious lunch.

     Arriving at our cabin we stowed our gear and drove out to the Mountain Vista parking area for a hike around the Savage River area.  On our way we stopped to make reservations for a bus ride into the park the next morning.  We were surprised to see many of the busses were already full.   This time of year usually has fewer visitors and is considered to be the shoulder season.  When we mentioned it to the guy working behind the counter he said there really hasn't been a shoulder season for the past few years.  It seems the secret is out and everyone wants to visit when the fall colors are at the peak.  This results in a busy season to the end.

     Liz had made a quiche while we were in Anchorage and that's what we ate for dinner.  Of course, we spent a couple hours driving back and forth on the park road on Moose Patrol.  We saw a bunch of cars stopped on the road ahead of us.  As we got closer our suspicions were confirmed, there was a big bull on the edge of the road.  Photographers with all sorts of various photography gear had quickly gathered to get pictures.

Fall colors in Denali country.

Clouds and colors.

 

Photographers along the Denali Park Road.

DAY 2:  (9/4/24)

     We caught the early morning bus bound for the East Fork.  That's as far as the park busses can go due to the continued construction work around Pretty Rocks.  Our driver was wonderful and offered lots of interesting commentary.  Along the way we saw Dall Sheep, grizzly bears, and a bull moose.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ride and were surprised when an entire class fo elementary school students boarded the bus at the Savage River Campground on our way back.  They were going to see the sled dog demonstration which they were very excited about.  It was fun listening to them and their teacher talk about their trip.

     After the bus ride we went to check out the ebike rentals at Bike Denali.  We decided to return the next morning and rent ebikes for a ride toward the Savage River.  Dinner was procured from the Thai Food truck located in the Grizzly Bear Cabins parking lot.  Following that we headed out for another evening of Moose Patrol.

The view from inside a park bus on the way to the East Fork.

Bears feeding on blueberries in Igloo Canyon.

Signage at the East Fork, which is the turn around point for the park busses.

A bull moose resting amongst the bushes in Igloo Forest.

DAY 3:  (9/5/24)

     The sunrise was fiery and the weather beautiful on this morning.  We were excited to get to the ebike rental place and start pedaling the park road.  It was exhilarating to cruise along the road through the crystal clear air and colorful landscape.  After a while we stopped at a small pull-out and had lunch while taking in the views.  Continuing our journey we almost made it to Mountain Vista before turning around.  By the time we got back to bike rental place we had gone 27 miles round trip.  It's definitely an activity we will do again.

   That night we ate dinner at McKinley Creek Lodge.  We saw they served caramel apple pancakes for breakfast which sounded very enticing.  So, we made plans to return the next morning as we made our way back to Anchorage.  And, that's what we did.  

Mrs. Huffy and ebikes along the edge of the park road.

Mrs. Huffy and the moose rutting area sign.

A colorful sunrise.

DAY 4:  (9/6/24)

     The pancakes were excellent and we enjoyed them very much.  It was a perfect way to end the trip.  We made the drive back to Anchorage stopping at many of the scenic viewpoints along the way hoping to see Denali, but, alas, no luck.  Then the trip was over.  But, already we're looking forward to the week after Labor Day next year!

Another bull moose.

HULA HULA RIVER PACKRAFT TRIP 2024

HULA HULA RIVER PACKRAFT TRIP, ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (ANWR), ALASKA, JUNE 28-JULY 8, 2024

THE PACKRAFTERS:

Doug Armstrong

Doug Emmerich

Wally Hufford

Julie Stephens

LOGISTICS:

We drove to Coldfoot. Alaska.  Then we flew via Coyote Air to Grasser's Strip on the Hula Hula River.  At the end of the trip we were picked up at the confluence of Old Woman Creek and the Hula Hula River, and returned to Coldfoot.

DAY 1:  (6/28/24)

We departed Coldfoot at 7:00 AM.  The flight over the Brooks Range was spectacular!  We saw mountains  jutting into the sky and river valleys that twisted forever into the distance.  Once we landed at Grasser's Strip everyone got a lei.  We checked out the Hula Hula and took a hike to a sunken pingo that had a small pond in it's center.  It was a great walk for our first day.  Back at camp the wind had picked up and our tents were flapping in the breeze.  Later in the evening there was a brief thunder and rain storm.  

Here we are with 1077 pounds of people and gear.  Our limit was 1200 pounds.

All our gear loaded in the plane.

A view of the Brooks Range as we flew to Grasser's Strip.

Julie and Doug E. get some last minute advice from Dirk, our pilot, after landing at Grasser's Strip.

Everyone got a lei upon arrival at Grasser's Strip along the Hula Hula River.  Doug A. even had a hula hoop.

This is what it looked like at 3:00 AM our first night along the edge of the Hula Hula River.  Since we were way above the arctic Circle the sun never went down.

DAY 2:  (6/29/24)

Our second day at Grasser's Strip was spent hiking toward a location known as the Lamb Nursery.  It's name comes from the fact that many Dall Sheep ewes and lambs use this area when raising the young.  We didn't see any sheep, but Im certain they were around.  Following a picnic on a hillside we turned back toward the direction of camp.  We did go a little out of our way to check out a sled type structure which someone had pulled up the valley.  It looked like it had been there for a number of years and was torn to bits.

We followed the edge of the river back to camp and got there just a few minutes before a heavy thunderstorm broke loose.  After an hour in the tents we emerged to clearing skies and took a walk along the edge of the river.  Then we got the maps out for review and ate an early dinner because we could see more rain coming up the valley toward us.  The remainder of the evening was spent in the tents listening to the rain.

My friends are a bunch of top notch navigators.  They always know what direction to go.

Heading out from Grasser's Strip for a hike around the area.

We found lots of fossilized coral along the river.  Doug E. thought it was fascinating.

The views were excellent in every direction.

Lunch near the Lamb Nursery.

DAY 3:  (6/30/24)

After a long night in the tents we awoke very early and began prepping to paddle down the Hula Hula.  Once on the water it was wonderful fun!  The river was swift and splashy so we really moved along.  We reached a new campsite and pulled out of the water in breezy weather.  

We checked the weather forecast on Julie's inReach and found that a significant storm was expected to begin in a couple days.  After some discussion we decided it would be in our best interest to paddle through The Gorge section of the river before the storm hit and raised water levels.  It turned out to be a very good decision.

Doug E. prepares for a day of paddling on the Hula Hula River.

DAY 4:  (7/1/24)

We woke up early again and were paddling by 8:50 AM.  There were lots of fun rock gardens and we were  enjoying the weather while it lasted.  Along the way we met a couple along the edge of the river.  I didn't get their names, but she was from Canada and he was from Holland.  They had hiked from the Marsh Fork to the Hula Hula and intended to packraft down the Hula Hula to Esetuk Creek where they would hike over to the Okpiliak River then float to Kaktovik.  After chatting with them for about 30 minutes we continued floating to our next campsite.

Early morning packraft preparation.  Looking forward to another day of paddling.

We met this adventurous couple along the edge of the river.  They had hiked from the Marsh Fork and were planning to packraft down the Hula Hula to Esetuk Creek.  From there they were going to hike over to the Okpiliak River and float to Kaktovik.

DAY 5:  (7/2/24)

It was another early morning as we pulled away from shore at 9:00 AM.  This was a big day of paddling because we were going through The Gorge.  When we got there we pulled out to scout things as best we could.  We walked downriver for quite a ways.  Then we went back to the packrafts and shoved off.  The water was splashy and every once in a while there would be a big hole.  We were able to avoid most of them.  But, then Doug E. got caught in one and his boat flipped.  Doug A., Julie, and myself were just a short distance downstream waiting for him.  But, when he got close to us he just stood up and walked to shore.  All good.  Doug A. also took a swim near the end of The Gorge.  He grabbed his packraft by the the short tail leash and also stood up and walked to shore.  Once past The Gorge we made our way to Old Woman Creek where we set up camp.  That's when the weather moved in.

Camp 4b at Old Woman Creek.  We had moved our tents to this location because it was higher and the water was rising due to all the rain.

Our gear was drenched and saturated from all the rain.

DAY 6:  (7/3/24)

WIND, WIND, WIND, and RAIN, RAIN, RAIN.  The predicted storm hit and it was a doozy.  Little did we know how long it would last and how violent it would get.  Our tents were taking a beating so we decided to build some rock walls around the outside edges to help alleviate the blasts as much as possible.  It was too wet and blustery to go hiking, so we spent much of the day standing around and in our tents.

We built partial rock walls around our tents in an effort to reduce the effect of the wind.

DAY 7: (7/4/24)

Heavy wind and rain continued for the remainder of the night.  There were hours that I sat with my back against the tent wall in efforts of keeping it from becoming a pancake.  Tent failure would've been a disaster, but all four of our tents survived the night.  

The weather wasn't much better in the morning, but we did get some good news from Dirk.  Julie had sent him a message asking for the coordinates for the Tundra Strip, where we were hoping to be picked up.  Surprisingly, he sent us a return message that said we were only 500 feet from a another strip where he could pick us up!  Dirk said it might be a couple days due to the weather, but he would pick us up there.  

We were elated because the river had really swollen due to the rain.  So, I went out looking for the strip.  It was quite the search because I couldn't find anything that looked like a landing strip  A while later Julie showed up and began to search as well.  She found several sets of antlers that looked like it could demarcate a landing strip.  But, really it just looked like a grassy field.  We sent a message to Dirk and he confirmed that was exactly what it looked like.  

Talk about happenstance, we were elated to know that Dirk would soon be on his way.  That's what we thought anyway.  Then the weather got even worse.

Doug E. enjoying a morning cup of coffee.

DAY 8:  (7/5/24)

It was another night of rain and wind.  However, things calmed down in the morning and the fog moved in.  It was thick as pea soup and kept us in our tents until 10:00 AM.  When we finally got breakfast going we could hear two different airplanes flying around the area.  Even though we couldn't see them it was good to know that some flying was being done.  

Julie turned on her inReach several different times during the morning, but the fog was so thick it couldn't connect with the satellites.  That meant we were unable to communicate with Dirk regarding our pick-up status.  The remainder of the day was spent standing around waiting for the fog to dissipate.  The inReach finally connected to the satellites and we sent Dirk a message.  

DAY 9:  (7/6/24)

Day three at Old Woman Creek.  It's been raining all night.  We still haven't heard back from Dirk regarding a pick-up.  We are hoping to hear something very soon. 

I updated the weather forecast on my inReach every so often and the reports called for more of the same into the indefinite future.  The birds were really singing at 4:45 this morning.  I was hopeful that meant a change in the weather, but when I looked outside the clouds were still very heavy.  

Late in the afternoon we heard from Dirk.  He said we might get picked up tomorrow.  He has not been able to fly due to the weather so there is a backlog of people for him to get before us.  

The heavy rain started again so we sat in our tents and talked to each other through the thin walls of tent fabric.  About 9:30 PM Doug A. said, "It's really getting dark out there."  Twenty minutes later we were slammed with horrendous wind and heavy rain.  It was extremely violent.  I spent over two hours with my back against the tent wall in hopes of supporting it against the wind.  I also put on my rain gear just to be ready in case a tent failed and I was exposed to the elements.  The others reported they did the same.  Eventually things calmed down enough that I could relax enough to fall asleep for short periods of time.

DAY10:  (7/7/24)

Julie's inReach said it was 34 degrees Fahrenheit this morning.  There was vibrant white snow on the mountains just above us.  Periods of rain, clouds, and plenty of wind filled the day.  We got an update from Coyote Air saying it was foggy in Coldfoot and they were unable to fly this morning.  However, they were hopeful the fog would clear around noon and they would be able to do some flying later today.  

We spent the day outside as much as possible between the rain squalls.  Then, when the rain hit, we would climb into my tent to visit and play games.  It was quite the event to have all four of us in one tent using a sleeping pad as a couch.  Late in the afternoon we got some very good news that we would be first on the list for pick-up the following morning!  We were elated.  Now all we needed was some good weather so Dirk could fly.

All four of us in my tent.  We spent several hours visiting and playing games while the wind and rain continued outside.

DAY 11:  (7/8/24)

2:14 AM.  I looked out the tent door and saw that dense fog has moved in.  I was only able to see a few hundred feet.  It seemed dismal, but the weather had been changing with great regularity, so I zipped the tent door closed and went back to sleep.  At 6:38 AM I checked again.  It wasn't much better.  Intermittent rain and fog filled the sky.  And, it was cold.  Cold enough that it occasionally snowed on us.  When the fog lifted enough we could see the mountains just above us were covered in snow.  Fortunately, as the morning progressed the fog began to lift and visibility improved significantly  

We were corresponding with Coyote Air and they said we could expect them to pick us up between 12:30-1:30 PM.  Hooray!  We waited for several hours before breaking camp keeping a close eye on the weather conditions which seemed to be improving.  

A little before noon we took down our tents and carried everything closer to the strip where Dirk said he could land.  We put our gear in a pile and huddled behind it to get out of the wind.  After a while we heard a plane approaching and we looked to see Dirk coming in for a landing.  Once he stopped we ferried our gear to the plane and loaded ourselves into our seats.  

At 2:17 PM we were in the air bound for Coldfoot.  As we were gaining altitude Julie spotted a sow grizzly with two cubs below us. They were the only ones we saw on the entire trip.  Dirk told us how bad the weather in Coldfoot had been and said they received over five inches of rain in the past few days.  We were certain we had received at least that much.  

The remainder of the flight was inspiring as we flew over immense drainages and alongside the peaks of the Brooks Range.  On several occasions Dirk had to fly around mini-weather systems in order to find a route back to Coldfoot.  We landed under partly cloudy skies and immediately made our way to Coldfoot Camp where we rented a very small room.  After stowing all our gear we went to the buffet and ate to our hearts content.  It was wonderful to have real food and chairs with backs on them.  That was something to celebrate indeed!

All packed up and huddled against our pile of gear.  Just waiting for our plane to arrive.

The view on our way back to Coldfoot.  The rivers and mountains of the Brooks Range are absolutely gorgeous.

Eating the dinner buffet at Coldfoot Camp upon our return.  It was so good and a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the trip.

ENGINEER LAKE CABIN, KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, MARCH 18-19, 2024

ENGINEER LAKE CABIN TRIP, KENAI NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, ALASKA, MARCH 18-19, 2024.

TEAM:

     Doug Armstrong

     Wally Hufford

     Miko (doggo)

     Penny (doggo)

Since our trip to Engineer Lake Cabin last year had been such a success, I had been looking forward to making another journey to the cabin at Engineer Lake.  I was checking the cabin availability on the internet with regular frequency and noted there was an opening on March 18th, which fit nicely with my work schedule.  Mrs. Huffy was going to be out of town at that time, so I contacted my buddy Doug and we began making plans for the trip.

The goal of the trip was to simply enjoy the wilderness and hopefully relish some good springtime weather.  It would a sub-24 adventure between days of work.

Arriving at the parking area we happened to meet the previous occupants.  We all stood in the sunshine and enjoyed a pleasant chat about their stay at the cabin.  They were from Homer and this was their first trip to a Public Use Cabin.  

As the conversation continued Doug and I began to unload sleds and gear from the truck and prepped for the short walk across the lake.  The path was packed down and we easily made our way to the cabin in a little over 20 minutes.  We stashed our gear and set out to collect some firewood--a task that was made easy with Doug's chainsaw.  We loaded up the woodshed in no time and soon decided to take a hike along Seven Lakes Trail.

Engineer Lake Cabin.

Doug Armstrong arriving at the cabin.

Doug starts the chainsaw in preparation of collecting some firewood.

Melting snow on the wood stove.

This is the sign at the Seven Lakes Trail/Engineer Lake Cabin trail junction.  We passed it as we were hiking toward Hidden Lake.

We made our way from the cabin to the Seven Lakes Trail a short distance away.  Once we were there we hiked through the burn area toward a short side trail which led to Hidden Lake.  After taking in the views we returned the way we had come and soon found ourselves back at the cabin where it was time for afternoon beverages.  The hike had been about 2.5 miles in total.  The pups had a great time running around.

MIko posed for the camera.

Penny posed, too.

Doug sat on a bench in front of the cabin for afternoon beverages.

Following beverages we each made our dinners and ate them while sitting on the porch.  The evening was grand with clear blue skies and warm temps.  However, once the sun began to descend we moved inside and filled the stove with wood in order to keep the oncoming evening chill at bay.  We loaded the stove once more before going to sleep which kept the cabin comfortably warm all night.

We lit a fire on Engineer Lake ice to burn some dead branches

The next morning we made a leisurely breakfast and basked in the rising sun as it peered through the front windows.  After eating we began to pack up before making the short walk back to the truck.  

Heating water for morning coffee at the cabin.

Doug and Miko hike across Engineer Lake pulling a sled.

And...that was it.  The trip was about 24 hours in duration and had we enjoyed perfect spring weather the entire time.  I went back to work and started looking forward to my next adventure at Engineer Lake.  Which can't come soon enough.

GLOBAL FAT BIKE DAY 2023, EXIT GLACIER, KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, DECEMBER 2-4

GLOBAL FAT BIKE DAY 2023, WILLOW PUBLIC USE CABIN, EXIT GLACIER, KENAI FJORDS NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, DECEMBER 2-4, 2023

The Kenai Fjords National Park sign near the Exit Glacier Cabin.

For the second year in a row we celebrated Global Fat Bike Day by pedaling our fat bikes to the Willow Public Use Cabin at Exit Glacier.  This year we stayed for two nights.  The posse included myself, Jim Bennett, and Doug Armstrong.

Jim and Doug ready to ride fat bikes to the cabin.

Doug and I met Jim at the gate crossing Exit Glacier Road.  After loading the bikes and sleds with gear we began pedaling toward the cabin.  The ground was barren of snow, but the road had a glaze of ice on it so our sleds could glide along.  Once we got closer to the cabin there was more snow on the ground.  Although it wasn't very deep, it was frozen solid as concrete and we were able to easily pedal over the surface without sinking.

Jim riding his fat bike and pulling a sled toward the cabin.

It took us about an hour-and-a-half to pedal the seven miles to the cabin.  That included several rest stops along the way where we took many photos and enjoyed the views of the mountains.

Willow Public Use Cabin at Exit Glacier with fat bikes on the porch.

Upon our arrival we took our gear inside and parked our bikes on the porch.  The cabin has a propane heating system that keeps everything toasty.  The lights are powered by a solar panel (look closely just

below the peak of the roof and you can see it) which kept things nice and bright.

Jim had a small stereo speaker and a playlist of really good music that we listened to for most of the afternoon and evening.  We also held an Andy Griffith Trivia challenge and chose topics of conversation which kept us awake until 10:00 PM.  Which is way past old man bedtime.

Early morning in the cabin meant puzzle time on the cell phones.

In the morning we got up and made breakfast while working  daily puzzles which had been downloaded on our phones.  There isn't any cell service at the cabin so Doug was bummed that his Wordle streak was broken. 

Filling water containers.

Even though the cabin has heat and lights, there isn't any running water.  Instead, we took several containers to a nearby stream where we filled them with ice cold water and took them back to the cabin.

Pulling a sled of full water containers back to the cabin.

A good supply of water.

The stove/oven in the cabin.

After procuring water we decided to spend the remainder of the day hiking to the Exit Glacier Overlook and the then back down the road to the bridge over the Resurrection River.  The weather was gorgeous and although the sun never hit the lower parts of the valley it lit up the peaks and ridges almost making them glow.  It was really beautiful.

Sunlit mountain.

Another sunlit mountain.

We woke up early on Monday morning and ate breakfast.  Then we packed our gear for the ride back to the vehicles.  The conditions were the same as when we rode in so it was a fast trip due to the downhill gradient of the road.  We arrived at the vehicles, loaded our bikes and gear, then drove back home.  It was a great adventure and we're already making plans to return for Global Fat Bike Day 2024!